Weekend Rounds - 09.25

Hi ,

Welcome to the best veterinary newsletter you'll receive today (just our opinion, and we're definitely not biased).  This week, veterinary news came in hot and heavy, especially with respect to large scale partnerships in the world of Artificial Intelligence. As you may have realized from past issues of Weekend Rounds, AI is a passion here at Obi so we're excited to recap what you need to know and provide Ryan's general take. If the rise of Skynet isn't your thing, jump down to the Quick Hits section where you will find all the best animal and veterinary links from around the world this week.

This week:

🖥️ The Rise of AI

👑 Her Majesty's Love of Animals

🚀 Quick hits

In the past few months, the conversation around artificial intelligence (AI) in veterinary medicine has really taken off.  More products have come to market, more clinics are trying AI solutions for radiographs and more patients are receiving diagnostics from AI.  While veterinary radiology is leading the way with at least 3 North American companies providing an AI generated diagnosis for radiographs in small animals, other aspects of veterinary care, such as in-house urinalysis, are seeing AI products arrive on the market.The idea that AI can improve what we do is something that Obi co-founder, Dr. Ryan Appleby, is passionate about.  However, as he has spoken about on both the Vet Sessions and Veterinary Project Podcast there are growing concerns that the cart is in front of the horse.  Using AI as a diagnostic tool should be subject to scrutiny, science and peer review.  Just because it anecdotally works for some, does not mean it will work well universally.  The scientific principles that make us great at what we do have been put aside for the shiny new thing called AI.  Instead of moving slowly for the benefit of our profession and our patients, veterinary medicine has gotten caught up in the "move fast and break things" culture of silicon valley.  That mantra is all well and good, unless you practice medicine.Recently, IVC Evidensia announced a partnership with AI provider SignalPet which was covered this week in a piece by VIN News Service.  The article points to a number of large scale partnerships using AI to interpret radiographic images in practice.  Not only has IVC Evidensia partnered with a commercial AI provider, but Mars is now using AI software developed by its teleradiology arm, Antech, to support its clinics. The challenge with all of this is that it has absolutely no scientific basis to back it up.  Peer reviewed publications on AI in veterinary imaging are in their early stages and represent proof of concept alone.  Vetology, a San Diego based provider of Veterinary AI interpretation software and featured in the article, has partnered with academic institutions to publish studies documenting the accuracy of their software when compared to radiologist interpretation.  While the software performs overall well, there are limitations to what conclusions should be drawn from these papers.  These results mean that the software works well in one limited environment and with radiographs that are appropriately positioned by academic institutions.  It remains unknown if the results of such interpretations will positively impact patient care and outcomes, or whether the same results will be found in larger scale studies with different radiographic positioning.Additional AI systems are surfacing across the veterinary landscape.  SK Telecom, Korea's #1 wireless carrier, has announced an AI based diagnostic platform which was developed with data from a number of Korean Universities. Radimal CEO Alan Weissman, was featured last month on the Veterinary Innovation Podcast. If your clinic has used AI software, we would like to hear about it, good or bad.  Just reply to this email to share your experience.

Your thoughts on the monarchy aside, the late Queen Elizabeth II was a lifelong animal lover and supporter.  Following her death, many stories have remembered her for her generosity and kindness.  

One such story

from the University of Liverpool documents Her Majesty's support of research to save the Fell Pony and other horses from Foal Immunodeficiency Syndrome (FIS). The Queen was very supportive with publicity for the research, provided samples from her own Fell ponies, and encouraged other breeders to support the research efforts.  All this led to the identification of the affected mutant gene. For more on the Queen's love of animals, check out this

4 minute clip from CBS News.

Here are some stories we're following this week from around the veterinary world and animal kingdom:How 3D printing can help veterinarians with surgical planning for dogs [Bio Med Central]

Globalvetlink and veterinary innovative partners teamst up tot streamline clinic processes [DVM 360] Which animals could go extinct by 2050? [Live Science] Can Animals Recognize Themselves In The Mirror? [Science ABC] Pet with diarrhea? Maybe hold off on the antibiotics [AVMA] Now is the best time in human history to be alive (unless you’re a farm animal) [Vox]London Vet Show reveals Top 30 under 30 [The Vet Times]Swiss referendum to ban factory farming [The Guardian]The loudest animal in the world [USA Today]Are most animals right handed? [ScienceABC]

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